Two agencies say repairs are being done to improve driver safety

By Tim O'Brien

Updated 7:14 am, Monday, April 1, 2013

Q: In the March 25 column, you answered Alice Schrade's concern about several broken-off signposts at the roundabout at Krumkill and Schoolhouse Roads in Slingerlands. I share her concern, but am even more concerned that some light posts are missing and/or broken off and those that remain are not functioning at the same intersection. The roundabout is totally unlit and has been for several weeks, creating a real safety issue.

"I'm happy to report that some of the broken signposts have already been fixed, and the rest are scheduled for repair soon," spokeswoman Carol Breen said.

Albany County is in charge of the lighting.

"The meter box was hit a few weeks ago, which knocked out all the power," said county spokeswoman Mary Rozak. "Next week, we have it scheduled to reinstall the meter and restore power. Also we have an issue with one of the light poles that was hit and taken down. The base was hit, and the anchor bolts bent over and unusable, so we're planning to put a new base in sometime this spring. We are working on a date for that. Some of the marker posts have been broken off, and we picked those up already."

Crossing signal fixed again

In our March 18 column, we reported on a concern raised with a malfunctioning pedestrian crossing signal at Lisha Kill Road and Central Avenue.

Reader Juli Polak of Schenectady brought that problem to our attention through the Fix-It Map attached to the Getting There blog.

The state DOT went to the site and fixed the button.

Two weeks later, Polak alerted us that the signal was stuck again — and the light at VanHeusen Street and Central Avenue was experiencing the same problem.

"On March 13, our signal crew visited the Central Avenue/Lisha Kill intersection and fixed the pedestrian button located in the northwest corner of the intersection," state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Carol Breen said. "On March 25, after receiving this Getting There inquiry, they visited the intersection again and found the pedestrian button in the northeast corner of the intersection was stuck. They fixed it. The signal at Central Avenue and VanHeusen also has been fixed."

When the pedestrian button is stuck, Breen said, the DOT signal crew takes the button apart, cleans it, lubricates it and reassembles it.

Interstate 787, Albany: Between exits 3B and 4 in downtown Albany, temporary nighttime lane closures will begin Monday on southbound 787. Concrete barriers will be installed by mid-April that will reduce the three-lane southbound interstate to two lanes.

Latham Circle, Colonie: The bridges that carry Troy Schenectady Road (Route 2) over New Loudon Road (Route 9) are being replaced starting Monday. Lane closures on Route 9 and Route 2 will be limited to weekdays until the Twin Bridges work is completed. Lane closures on Route 2 will occur only during off-peak hours. Work on portions of the Latham Circle project will be performed during the week at night. DOT also will implement an accelerated 60-day schedule once work on the Northway Twin Bridges is finished. During this 60-day period, Route 2 will be reduced to one lane in each direction. The bridge replacement and full-time lane closures on Route 2 and on Latham Circle are anticipated to end in August. Additional minor work on Route 2 may occur after this time using temporary lane closures.

Thaddeus Kosciuszko Bridge, Colonie: The southbound side of the bridge will be replaced. The southbound lanes will be closed at 10 p.m. on Fridays, reopening before the rush hour on Monday mornings. Two southbound and one northbound lane will be open on the weekends. Work is expected to be completed before Memorial Day weekend.

Crossgates Mall ramp north to Northway, Guilderland: The bridge ramp will be replaced starting Monday. The ramp will mostly remain open, but at a reduced width. Buses and trucks larger than a single unit will be detoured away from the ramp. A signed detour will direct those vehicles to Western Avenue and then to the southern end of the Northway. A 10-ton weight limit will be posted. The ramp will be closed overnight, between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., some six to 12 times to complete the project.

Interstate 90, Schodack: The two bridges carrying Interstate 90 over the Moordener Kill will be replaced starting Monday. Traffic in both directions will be reduced by one lane between Exit 11 and 12 as the contractor builds crossover lanes in the median. When completed by early May, these crossover lanes will shift traffic heading east onto the westbound bridge. The westbound bridge will then carry two lanes of traffic heading east and one lane of traffic heading west. Motorists are encouraged to use Route 9 as an alternate route. The eastbound bridge will be replaced this year.

Western Gateway Bridge, Scotia to Schenectady: One lane will be closed in each direction on the Western Gateway Bridge carrying Route 5 over the Mohawk River between Scotia and Schenectady. One lane in each direction will remain open.